Early spring is just ducky

Scott Shalaway

Outdoors Writer

sshalaway@aol.com

If you’re new to identifying birds, you might want to begin with waterfowl. They are large, conspicuously marked in breeding plumage, and relatively easy to spot. Though songbird migration peaks in May, early spring is a great time to learn ducks and other waterfowl. Binoculars and a field guide are the essential tools.

To find waterfowl, visit lakes, ponds, flooded meadows, and rivers, especially near dams. Sometimes even roadside ditches attract a surprising array of visitors. These are the habitats ducks frequent as they head north in spring.

First, watch how a duck behaves on the water. If it feeds on the surface by tipping its butt into the air and stretching its neck beneath the water, it’s a dabbling duck. To fly, dabblers jump directly upward off the water.

If, however, a duck dives completely beneath the surface of the water to feed, it’s a diving duck. To fly, divers must patter along the surface to get airborne. That’s because their legs sit to the rear of the body to power their underwater movements. This leg position makes divers ungainly on land, but they are excellent swimmers.

Male waterfowl are typically more colorful and strikingly marked, so let’s focus on drakes. Here’s a brief guide to what to look for on some common male ducks you can expect on local waterways. Hens are duller and require a bit more experience to identify, though in the spring, they typically associate with drakes of their own species.

Other waterfowl you might encounter this time of year include a variety of larger species.

Canada geese (6 to 12 pounds) — widespread and common. Often loaf at city parks, golf courses, and athletic fields, where their droppings foul the landscape. Identified by a conspicuous white chinstrap that marks the black head and neck.